Conference discusses how to monetise creative work

DELEGATES from the creative industry and artistic sectors, drawn from around the world, will be given invaluable insight into how to commercialise their work at a major conference starting in Cardiff today.

Kick-Start: Cardiff – the international event for creative entrepreneurship – is being organised by Visiting Arts.

Hosted at the Park Plaza Cardiff, some 30 creative entrepreneurs from Wales, Europe and the rest of the world, will be encouraged to collaborate, as well as hearing from industry experts.

Delegates from Wales include Melissa Hinkin of Artes Mundi, artist Sue Hunt and Robert Nicholas of music band Junior Bill.

The conference will encourage discussion about the role and value of the creative entrepreneur and how the arts and creative industries are driving regional and rural economies.

It is organised within the scope of the EU co-funded project Creative Tracks, supporting young creative entrepreneurs worldwide and encouraging cross-cultural collaborations.

Speakers at the event will include John Howkins, author of the influential The Creative Economy, and Cardiff-born artist and industrial designer Ross Lovegrove. Economy Secretary Ken Skates will also address the conference.

Yvette Vaughan Jones, chief executive of Visiting Arts, said: “We chose to hold this event in Cardiff both because of its established strong creative industry presence in music, TV and film production, and also because of the burgeoning new industries that are developing in the region. Creative hubs in the Valleys and the city are providing spaces for designers, digital artists, performers and creative businesses of all kinds.”

The creative industries sector is the fastest-growing in Wales, contributing £465m to the Welsh economy. Some 84,000 people work in the creative economy in Wales, while Cardiff is home to 2,788 creative companies, organisations and freelancers.

Launched in 2016, Creative Tracks boasts a network of more than 2,200 creative and cultural entrepreneurs, associations or networks supporting culture and creative industries throughout the world.

The conference will run for three days.